f you will,
You can if you won't,
You'll be damned if you do,
You'll be damned if you don't."

"You just said," stated Peter, "that the man who could do what the
majority wants done every time, would be re-elected. Doesn't it hold
true as to a party?"

"No. A party is seldom retained in power for such reasons. If it has a
long tenure of office it is generally due to popular distrust of the
other party. The natural tendency otherwise is to make office-holding a
sort of see-saw. Let alone change of opinion in older men, there are
enough new voters every four years to reverse majorities in almost every
state. Of course these young men care little for what either party has
done in the past, and being young and ardent, they want to change
things. The minority's ready to please them, naturally. Reform they
call it, but it's quite as often 'Deform' when they've done it."

Peter smiled and said, "Then you think my views on license, and
food-inspection, and tenement-house regulation are 'Deformities'?"

"We won't say that, but a good many older and shrewder heads have worked
over those questions, and while I don't know what you hope to do, you'll
not be the first to want to try a change, Mr. Stirling."

"I hope to do good. I may fail, but it's not right as it is, and I must
try to better it." Peter spoke seriously, and his voice was very clear.
"I'm glad to have had this talk, before the convention meets. You are
all experienced men, and I value your opinions."

"But don't intend to act on them," said his host good-naturedly.

"No. I'm not ready to say that. I've got to think them over."

"If you do that, Mr. Stirling, you'll find we are right. We have not
been twenty and thirty years in this business for nothing."

"I think you know how to run a party--but poisoned milk was peddled in
my ward. I went to law to punish the men who sold it. Now I'm going into
politics to try and get laws and administration which will prevent such
evils. I've told my district what I want. I think it will support me. I
know you can help me, and I hope you will. We may disagree on methods,
but if we both wish the good of New York, we can't disagree on results."
Peter stopped, rather amazed himself at the length of his speech.

"What do you want us to do?"

"You say that you want to remain in control. You say you can only do so
by majorities. I want you to give this city such a government that
you'll poll every honest vote on